Botswana confirms Dalai Lama visit despite China anger

Gaborone (Botswana) (AFP) – Botswana on Tuesday confirmed it will allow the Dalai Lama to visit next month as “a foreign dignitary” in the face of China’s fierce opposition to the Tibetan spiritual leader.

Botswana Foreign Minister Pelonomi Venson-Moitoi told lawmakers that the visit was “purely private” but added that the Dalai Lama would be granted the status of a foreign dignitary.

She did not confirm a government announcement last week that he would meet President Ian Khama, which prompted a stern response from Beijing.

However the president will “extend basic courtesies for Dalai Lama” and the government protocol office “is charged with the responsibility to facilitate foreign dignitaries… this includes Dalai Lama,” the foreign minister said.

Venson-Moitoi also said in a parliamentary answer that “the principle of non-interference in the international affairs of other countries is at the core of China’s foreign policy”.